Dhaka, April 26 -- Extreme heatwaves have hit the working class of Bangladesh the hardest with life-threatening temperatures that have also affected their livelihood.

One of them, rickshaw van-puller Sirajul of Lalmonirhat, who gave a single name, was resting a bit under a tree near Aditmari Bazar on Friday afternoon "It's difficult to pedal a van with goods under the sun in Baishakh (the first month of summer in Bangla calendar). The heat is so extreme that it feels like my heart will explode. Still, I had to come out," he said.

"How'll the poor survive so much heat?" he wondered.

Sirajul said they would not get enough work to buy food for their families if the heatwave continued.

The Lalmonirhat-Patgram Highway was almost deserted i...